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Congratulations to R. Stelzner of CA who won a brand new BB Curve 8530 for Sprint on Tuesday April 20, 2010 at 7:08AM.  “I’ve been playing this game for months, and it paid off! Thank you phonedog, you guys are the greatest!”

Open letter from soldiers regarding Apache gun cam video
Excerpt: Two soldiers that were deployed with the Army unit involved in an incident recorded by an Apache gun cam have issued an open letter of apology to the families of Iraqis that were killed. Earlier this month Wikileaks, a whistleblower web site, released an unedited video taken by an Apache helicopter gunship operating over Baghdad, Iraq. The […]

Banking Reform Sells Better as “Wall Street” Reform
A new Gallup poll finds Americans are evenly divided on the merits of giving the federal government new powers to regulate large banks and major financial institutions.

However, they offer greater support when the issue is more specifically framed as regulating “Wall Street banks.”

How the Sleazy Used-Car Salesmen at Goldman Sachs Tricked Investors into Buying Their Busted Clunkers
Goldman Sachs is being sued by the government for allegedly defrauding its investors. Confused? Here’s some plain talk about a mega rip-off.

Goldman Sachs is being sued by the government for allegedly defrauding its investors. Confused? Here's some plain talk about a mega rip-off.

Run on and see where it ends: Fighting to make health equality a reality

By Nisha Agarwal, Director of the Health Justice Program at New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, Race-Talk contributor Saturday morning, April 17th, the auditorium of Junior High School 22 in the Bronx was crowded with community residents who had gathered for a town hall meeting.  Health care reform had passed, but […]

My Middle-Class Existence Hangs by the Thread of Subsidized Childcare
‘If I lost my daycare subsidy I would have to turn to food stamps, Medicaid, temporary assistance for needy families, Section 8 and every other social service out there.’

'If I lost my daycare subsidy I would have to turn to food stamps, Medicaid, temporary assistance for needy families, Section 8 and every other social service out there.'

Four of the Most Dangerous Fraudulent Scientific Theories That Must Be Confronted
Climate-induced earthquakes, bottomless pits of oil, pet dinosaurs and a miraculous energy source: For the sake of public policy, it’s important to debunk the lies.

Climate-induced earthquakes, bottomless pits of oil, pet dinosaurs and a miraculous energy source: For the sake of public policy, it's important to debunk the lies.

Materials: Akurum 21″ base cabinets w/ drawers, Abstrakt doors, Svep handles

Description: My wife and I have been wanting to hack Ikea for a long time, in an effort to wrangle our cats’ litter and food (not only to keep the house cleaner, but also to keep our dog from grabbing late-night litter snacks). Knowing that cats can get picky when it comes to where they do their business, I wanted to make sure that they wouldn’t have any less room to use the box than they had previously with their covered litter pans.

After constructing two Akurum base cabinets (making sure they were wide enough to accommodate our largest litter pan), I used the jigsaw to cut a 7″ x 9″ hole out of each one. Originally I was going to make the holes on the outer-facing sides of the cabinets. However, I was fortunate to stumble upon an “as-is” countertop at Ikea for $30. Aligning the cabinets to the edges of the countertop allowed me to make the portholes on the interior sides; this way I don’t have to worry about what other furniture surrounds them and the portholes are always accessible.

As a bonus, I picked up a spice rack (Rationell Variela) that fits perfectly inside the cabinet; it’s the new cat food trough!

~ Steve

Google’s removed the video for inexplicable reasons, however TechRadar dug it up on YouTube, and found Eric Schmidt promising an affordable price-point for netbooks with Chrome OS and the potential for it to be offered on-contract by phone networks. More »

Goldman Sachs Fraud
Finally the chickens are coming home to roost on the greatest short scam of the last decade. Goldman Sachs is being charged by the SEC with fraud. As I pointed out months ago, this was a scam of epic proportions….


Goldman Sachs – John Paulson – Business – Fraud – Hedge fund

No One Knows Whether They Would Rescue A Stranger
I am always intrigued by Elie Wiesel who seems to believe that, as a victim of the Holocaust, he is, by definition, a righteous man. But he’s not. Status as a victim does not confer righteousness. All Wiesel knows is…



Elie Wiesel – Holocaust – History – Twentieth Century – Judaism

The Far-Right Foreign Policy Ideas That Wouldn’t Die
In the comments thread of my recent post on the nuclear policy / foreign policy silly season, there was a debate over whether neocon ideas even deserve much attention and response. Maybe at this point, the only thing that matters…


Foreign Policy – United States – Politics – Conservatism – Warfare and Conflict

Romney Says He Wouldn’t Repeal The Individual Mandate That He Believes Is ‘Unconstitutional’ (Updated)
On April 8th, Mitt Romney told a New Hampshire newspaper that the individual mandate was “unconstitutional” and reiterated his pledge to repeal ObamaCare. “I think it’s unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front,” he said. This week, however, Romney told Kavon Nikrad, a conservative blogger, that he does not support repealing the “unconstitutional” individual mandate or […]

On April 8th, Mitt Romney told a New Hampshire newspaper that the individual mandate was “unconstitutional” and reiterated his pledge to repeal ObamaCare. “I think it’s unconstitutional on the 10th Amendment front,” he said.

This week, however, Romney told Kavon Nikrad, a conservative blogger, that he does not support repealing the “unconstitutional” individual mandate or the provision that prohibits insurers from banning coverage to individuals with pre-existing conditions. The RightOSphere blog caught up with Romeny and reported the following exchange:

“You have stated your intention to spearhead the effort to repeal the ‘worst aspects’ of Obamacare, does this include the repeal of the individual mandate and pre-existing exclusion?”

The Governor’s answer:

“No.”

Gov. Romney went on to explain that he does not wish to repeal these aspects because of the deleterious effect it would have on those with pre-existing conditions in obtaining health insurance.

Indeed, Romney is doing some awkward kabuki to position himself both as a can-do reformer and as a conservative tea partier. Having signed an individual mandate into law on the state level, he understands the insanity of repealing it. Romney has repeatedly defended the individual mandate as a “conservative” policy and has argued that it’s essential for covering every American.

“Everybody in America today has health care,” he said during a recent interview on Fox Business. “If they get sick, even without insurance, they get free care, paid for by government. We said no more of that. No more free riders. We want people taking personal responsibility for getting health insurance if they can afford it.” And, he’s right. The individual mandate creates incentives for otherwise healthy Americans to purchase insurance and may be the the only way to achieve affordable universal coverage. Without a mandate, only the sick who need health care would be motivated to purchase it. The pool of insured would be weighted with sick individuals, forcing the costs of the premium to escalate.

Recently, Romney hinted that he may change his position on ObamaCare if he wins the Republican Presidential nomination in 2012 and take credit for some aspects of the national reform law.

Cross-posted on The Wonk Room.

Senate GOP leaders to meet with Obama on Supreme Court nominee process
Senate Republicans will have a chance this week to directly confront President Obama on his vision for reshaping the nation’s courts.

Two senators subpoena Obama administration for information on Fort Hood shootings
Sens. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) issued the first congressional subpoenas of the Obama administration Monday after accusing the White House of stonewalling their requests for information about the Fort Hood shootings.

Bill would help smooth presidential transitions
At least four senators are thinking about 2012 — not so much the elections themselves, but the practical logistics of the transfer of power that is always a possibility in presidential elections.

Emanuel pitches regulatory reform at private meeting with top N.Y. investors
As President Obama prepares to deliver a speech in New York later this week that will attempt to align his administration squarely on the side of American taxpayers furious with Wall Street, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, met privately on Sunday night with some of the city’s top investors.

Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break Concept

Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its own take on the four-door coupe with the new Mercedes-Benz four-door Coupe CLS Shooting Break concept.

Following in the footsteps of the Porsche Panamera and Aston Martin Rapide, the Mercedes-Benz CLS Shooting Break concept signals the arrival of a new market segment for the brand.

Due to make its debut at Auto China 2010, the Shooting Break concept features elements introduced with the latest models from the Mercedes stable, including the radiator grille, with the large star and bionic slats from the SLS AMG super sports car.

Read more

With the battle between iPhone and Android gaining serious momentum, the two parties are not leaving any chance to drag each other out. In a recent response to a customer inquiry about Apple’s policies, Steve Jobs said that users who want porn on their phones should get an Android device.

When Matthew Browning, an Apple customer, emailed Steve Jobs about unjustified removal of Mark Fiore’s application and ranted out about Apple’s recent policies regarding seemingly inappropriate apps, here is what Steve Jobs had to say:

Fiore’s app will be in the store shortly. That was a mistake. However, we do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone. Folks who want porn can buy and Android phone.

Originally shared with TechCrunch by Matthew, this email clearly shows how a corporate/brand war has converted into an aggressive PR battle. However, this is not the first time Steve Jobs has tried to criticize Android for allowing porn. At the recent iPhone 4.0 OS event, he said:

You know, there’s a porn store for Android. You can download nothing but porn. You can download porn, your kids can download porn. That’s a place we don’t want to go – so we’re not going to go there.

To me, that is a little bit more than what we call bashing your competition. It is almost as if Jobs think of Android as a promoter of pornography and iPhone as a saint. Can somebody ask him how his views about adult apps changed so suddenly and why he allowed them in his app store for a long while before blocking them without any notice? One thing is clear though, the Android and iPhone war is much more serious than we think it is.

Don’t miss these Related Posts:

• Steve Jobs Still Using iPhone OS 3.1.2?
• Apple iPad May Run Android OS In Next Version
• Android Gains One More Point In Android vs. iPhone War

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With the Internet becoming more affordable and more available all around the world, it is proving a disruptive force in countless ways. Unfortunately, some regimes, specifically the ones used to controlling public opinion and media, don’t take too kindly to this type of disruption and try to do what they do best, censor and b… (read more)

[JURIST] The Indonesian Constitutional Court voted 8-1 Monday to uphold a controversial anti-blasphemy law enacted in 1965 by the first Indonesian president. The court rejected the legal challenge raised by a coalition of human rights groups and social activists supporting the Wahid Organization, a civil organization that advocates for religious pluralism in Indonesia. Critics of the law, titled Presidential Decree for the Prevention of Blasphemy and the Desecration of Religions, argued that it is used to discriminate against minorities and violates freedom of religion. Eight of the judges found that the law is necessary to maintain public order and is respectful of the principle of religious freedom, called Pancasila in Indonesia. Dissenting judge Maria Farida, the first ever female member of the court, reasoned that the law should be revoked because it is at odds with the constitution since it only recognizes six religions and is used arbitrarily to suppress all other religions.
Blasphemy laws have been a controversial issue in several countries. Last month, the Irish Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform proposed a referendum to remove the criminal offense of blasphemy from the Irish Constitution. Blasphemy is a punishable offense under section 40 of the constitution, but the language of the text had been deemed too vague to hold any prosecutions. In February, a Pakistani government official said that the country would begin to revise its blasphemy laws later this year. Pakistan currently punishes blasphemy against Islam by death, but no one has yet been executed for the offense. Last year, the death sentence of Afghan journalism student Sayad Parwaz Kambaksh for blasphemy was reduced to 20 years’ imprisonment by an Afghan appeals court. Kambaksh was sentenced to death for distributing papers questioning gender roles under Islam. In 2008, the UK House of Lords voted to abolish the criminal offenses of blasphemy and blasphemous libel from the UK common law.

This is a quick announcement to say that you might experience a slightly reduced service on this blog in terms of not responding to comments or fixing errors. I am currently in Perth and stranded by the continued eruption of Eyshsknaahskkehallyffelejokull. I have a roof and somewhere to work during the day, but everything’s a bit surreal and disjointed with no real word as to when the homeward flight will happen.

There’ll still be posts though. Probably.

E

MEMPHIS, Tenn., April 20 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Harvey L. Karp, Chairman of Mueller Industries, Inc. (NYSE: MLI), announced today that Mueller’s net income was $34.0 million, or 90 cents per diluted share, for the first quarter of 2010.  This compares with a net loss of $2.5 million, or 7 cents per diluted share, for the same period of 2009.  First quarter net sales for 2010 were $485.3 million compared with $326.6 million in 2009.

During the first quarter of 2010, the Company recognized a gain of $22.5 million (or 62 cents per diluted share after tax) on the settlement of an insurance claim pertaining to the 2008 fire at its U.K. copper tube operation.  Further, the realization of this gain resulted in a tax benefit primarily from the utilization of U.K. net operating losses that were previously reserved.

Financial and Operating Highlights

Regarding the first quarter of 2010, Mr. Karp said:

• “Net sales increased to $485.3 million primarily due to higher selling prices that reflect increased raw material costs.  The Comex average price of copper was $3.28 per pound in the first quarter of 2010, which compares with $1.57 in the first quarter of 2009.  Gross profit was $72.2 million in the first quarter which is the best of the last six consecutive quarters.
• “Our Plumbing & Refrigeration segment posted operating earnings of $40.5 million that includes a $22.5 million gain on the settlement of an insurance claim as discussed above.  Net sales for the first quarter of 2010 were $256.7 million.  In the same period a year ago, segment earnings were $10.3 million on net sales of $190.4 million.  Volumes were mixed; tube volumes were lower, while fittings volume improved slightly.
• “Our OEM segment posted operating earnings of $16.1 million during the first quarter of 2010 on net sales of $232.2 million, which compares with an operating loss of $6.3 million on net sales of $138.4 million for the same period in 2009.  The increase in earnings was primarily due to higher volume and better spreads as demand improved.    
• “Stockholders’ equity was $740.8 million which equates to a book value per share of $19.66 of which $10.54 per share was cash.
• “Our current ratio remained solid at 4.0 to 1.  We ended the quarter with $397.2 million in cash and $657.3 million in working capital.
• “As of quarter end, our financial leverage was modest with a debt to total capitalization ratio of 19.5 percent.”

Business Outlook for 2010

Regarding the outlook for 2010, Mr. Karp said, “Business conditions have shown signs of improvement as the economic recovery in the United States takes hold. Although the commercial construction sector remains sluggish, residential construction has improved somewhat from the trough.  We expect that residential construction gains will be modest for the remainder of the year, while meaningful improvement in commercial construction is unlikely to occur before 2011.”

Mueller Industries, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of copper tube and fittings; brass and copper alloy rod, bar and shapes; aluminum and brass forgings; aluminum and copper impact extrusions; plastic fittings and valves; refrigeration valves and fittings; and fabricated tubular products.  Mueller’s operations are located throughout the United States and in Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, and China. Mueller’s business is importantly linked to:  (1) the construction of new homes; (2) the improvement and reconditioning of existing homes and structures; and (3) the commercial construction market which includes office buildings, factories, hotels, hospitals, etc.

                                  *************

Statements in this release that are not strictly historical may be “forward-looking” statements, which involve risks and uncertainties.  These include economic and currency conditions, continued availability of raw materials and energy, market demand, pricing, competitive and technological factors, and the availability of financing, among others, as set forth in the Company’s SEC filings.  The words “outlook,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “expect,” “believe,” “target,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.  The reader should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this report.  The Company has no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect events after the date of this report.

SOURCE Mueller Industries, Inc.

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services

Never fall in love at the Jersey Shore….Pint-sized guidette Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi is back on the market after splitting from her “juiced-up” beau, personal trainer Emilio Marsella. We hear Snook dumped the bodybuilder she met on Facebook.com earlier this year after growing suspicious that the hunk was cheating and “using her for fame.”

Snooki is currently filming season 2 of MTV’s breakout hit Jersey Shore in South Beach Miami.

Toyota may keep its current U.S. incentives for months to draw buyers to its showrooms as it faces the biggest recall crisis in the company’s history. According to analysts Toyota may continue its incentives well through the summer to recover from the damage that has been taken to its reputation for quality.

“With what we can gather today, they’re going to have to continue this level of spending until 2011 models start to come in a meaningful way,” said Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends at forecaster TrueCar.com. “That could mean until about August.”

Toyota began offering zero percent interest loans and discount leases on most Toyota models in early March and extended them this month. According to Edmunds.com the incentives were worth $2,568 per vehicle last month. They helped fuel a 41 percent boost in the company’s U.S. sales gain for last month, after it recalled more than 8 million vehicles globally.

– By: Stephen Calogera

Source: BusinessWeek

WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who in January tried to quash stories about a future Chicago mayoral bid, on Monday put his interest in City Hall on the record: “One day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago.”

Emanuel made his comment on the ”Charlie Rose” show, taped in Manhattan.

After damping talk about a mayoral run in January, Rose resurrected the issue when he asked Emanuel what other government jobs he would be interested in if he left the White House.

“I hope Mayor Daley seeks re-election. I will work and support him if he seeks re-election,” said Emanuel, 50. “But if Mayor Daley doesn’t, one day I would like to run for mayor of the City of Chicago. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.”

WASHINGTON — White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who in January tried to quash stories about a future Chicago mayoral bid, on Monday put his interest in City Hall on the record: “One day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago.”

Emanuel made his comment on the ”Charlie Rose” show, taped in Manhattan.
After damping talk about a mayoral run in January, Rose resurrected the issue when he asked Emanuel what other government jobs he would be interested in if he left the White House.

“I hope Mayor Daley seeks re-election. I will work and support him if he seeks re-election,” said Emanuel, 50. “But if Mayor Daley doesn’t, one day I would like to run for mayor of the City of Chicago. That’s always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives.”

Mayor Daley — who will be 68 on Saturday, in his 20th year overseeing City Hall — has not yet made an announcement about running for another term. The mayoral election is next February, and Daley is expected to seek re-election.

Emanuel is trying to set the stage as his logical successor. Though he would have tremendous fund-raising ability, Emanuel would also have some competition.
“That makes him one of many who aspire to the same goal. It is a laudable aspiration,” Daley spokeswoman Jackie Heard said Monday.

Emanuel has pledged to serve as President Obama’s chief of staff to the end of the year, and has signaled that could be extended if Obama asked him. Emanuel moved his family — wife Amy and three children — to Washington last year and enrolled his kids in local schools.

Emanuel gave up a safe House seat — and a path to one day possibly being House speaker — when Obama tapped him for chief of staff.

Gossip about Emanuel’s future was first triggered Jan. 5 when Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn wrote that “Emanuel is said to have told people that the chief-of-staff role is an 18-month job and that he is considering a run for mayor of Chicago.”

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals teaches Kim K how to hold the pussy! Kim Kardashian’s copping a bit of flak for posting this pic of her holding a kitty by the scruff of the neck on Twitter.

“Pic from my shoot yesterday…good kitty cat!” Kim wrote in a posting on Friday, raising the ire of Twitter.

Now the outspoken animal rights organization have used the reality star to raise awareness on how to safely hold a kitten.

“Kim Kardashian isn’t the only person who mistakenly thinks that because a mother cat picks up her kittens by the scruff of the neck that a supportive hand under the rump isn’t needed….”

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals seems to agree: “It is permissible to hold a kitten by his or her scruff for a brief amount of time… [but] the manner in which Ms. Kardashain is holding the kitten could lead others to mishandle animals.”

Worried that some people may take it the wrong way, the reality show star quickly took to her blog to assure fans that the feline was not harmed.

“Rest assured, the owner and vet were on set and showed me how to pick him up,” Kardashian wrote. “The cat was not harmed in any way and is perfectly fine! I love animals and would never do anything to harm animals.”

I used to work in an animal hospital and this is also the way that I was taught to pick up cats. I’ve never seen any cats harmed by scruff-holding…..

Dr. Lippman brings more than two decades of video and audio innovation to Fuze Box.

SAN FRANCISCO, April 20 /CHICAGOPRESSRELEASE.COM/ — Fuze Box today announced that streaming media veteran Dr. Alan Lippman has been named Executive Vice President, Media Technology at Fuze Box. Dr. Lippman assumes his role immediately.

Recognized as one of the fathers of streaming audio/video and digital media hub technologies, Dr. Lippman will usher Fuze Box into the next generation of video technology. “We are uniquely positioned to welcome a thought leader in the video technology field, such as Alan, who will elevate Fuze Box to the next level in video collaboration,” said Jeff Cavins, CEO of Fuze Box. “We are excited that the timely appointment of Dr. Lippman will further solidify the company’s presence in the online collaboration space as Fuze Box approaches the cusp of unprecedented advances in video-based experiences.”

Dr. Lippman holds a BSM in Mathematics from the University of Washington, which he received at the age of 14 and graduated four years later with a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University. Dr. Lippman has since augmented his career through pointed and specialized media partnerships. As the Chief Engineer at RealNetworks, he was a key architect of RealAudio® and RealVideo® software that today is still downloaded millions of times per week. Upon founding Trusted Media Networks in 2001, Dr. Lippman established international standards for network management currently in use by Sprint, Verizon and AT&T. Dr. Lippman moved to Redback Networks in 2006 as the Chief Video Architect focusing on video traffic optimization.

In joining Fuze Box, Dr. Lippman heads a team that will focus on perfecting video capabilities across fixed web and mobile devices. He and his team will also work to optimize high definition video management and delivery. “I am pleased to join Fuze Box as the company extends its visual collaboration platform to global users.” Lippman continues, “There are many differentiated advantages that the Fuze Box platform provides for media capabilities and these uniquely match many of the product sciences I have been working on over the last five years.”

With the addition of Dr. Lippman, Fuze Box also announces the opening of new offices in Seattle.  Dr. Lippman and a team of experienced developers in the field of video and audio technologies will be the first employees working out of Fuze Box’s new Seattle, WA location.

About Fuze Box:

Fuze Box is a leading platform provider of visual collaboration applications for consumers and businesses. Its applications – Fuze Meeting, Fuze Messenger, Fuze Movie and Tweetshare – allow people to communicate, collaborate and share content from any device, anywhere in the world. Fuze Meeting is a mobile and web-based collaboration service that features integrated audio conferencing as well as high- definition, synchronized video and image sharing. The company’s technology is based on a real-time visual communications platform that converges telephony, high-definition, synchronized video and image sharing across the enterprise, the web and mobile networks. For more information, please visit http://www.fuzebox.com.

CONTACT: Kristen Isaacs of Fuze Box, +1-415-367-4558 (office),+1-818-621-2823 (cell), [email protected]

SOURCE Fuze Box

http://www.fuzebox.com

Distributed via Chicago Press Release Services